Place of dog in America and Islam M. Akhtar, Ph.D President, MCA , author of a book and many articles on 'identity' issues The problem: In American culture dogs have special place at home. They are endeared like another child and member of the family. Muslims came as migrants from other cultures which had one common denominator: dogs are bad, keep away from them, they bite and above all they are dirty and prohibited in Islam. Coming here with that frame of mind, now Muslims are supposed to acculturate in America, befriend with Americans and like their dog as well. That poses the problem. The ke...

Place of dogs in Islam
Ingrid Mattson, Professor of Islamic studies and former President of Isna

[Editorial Note by M.Akhtar } Dogs in American culture have a special place which is in conflict with the negative feelings Muslim immigrants bring with them, presumed to be derived from Islam. In fact these feelings are part of their own culture they inherited from the old country that in turn was largely shaped by a few sayings of our prophet (peace be upon him) that were reflective of the Arabian society at that time and should be taken as cultural practices rather than Islam’s universal values. (God forgive me if I am mistaken. Only God knows the best) The distinguished writer who grew up in the West surrounded by the feelings of affection and companionship towards do...

Shariat Laws- Ban them, Block them: does it make sense? PART 1 Mohammad Akhtar, Ph.D President, MCA, Author of two book and numerous articles NOTE: PART 1 of the article is here while PART 2 is to be published in the next issue. It would argue that Muslims should focus more on the relationship with America. Reacting negatively out of anger and fear is only escalating the emotional climate for the worse .Muslims need systematic thinking and take the initiatives such as clearly declare that we do not need Shariat laws in America, it is not necessary as an Islamic mandate Frankly, I am confused about what is going on in the US regarding Shariat Laws: Legislators in many states want to ban it; others, however, oppose this move and support Muslims. Is it a fight between Muslims and “m...

Islam's influence on the Founding Fathers
By Mona Shadia
a reporter for Times Community News

Even though I wasn't born or raised here, there's a reason I feel at home in America. America's principles align with Islam's teachings. In fact, America's principles are not just based on Judeo-Christian values, but Judeo-Christian-Islamic values. After all, the three religions share the same father, Abraham, and the same God.After some research and a chat with a friend, who shared with me the work of a few authors and scholars, I'm convinced that this relationship and compatibility between Islam and America is not a coincidence. There's no doubt that when the Founding Fathers were forming the Constitution, they relied heavily on thinkers like John Locke.
Thomas Jefferso...